This disclosure relates generally to building structure hardware and methods employed for tying a member to a support structure under tension. More particularly, preferred versions of the disclosed embodiments relate to hardware and methods for tying deck joists or elongated wood components to a principal support structure such as, for example, a sill, a top plate or a structural component.
In applications to which the present disclosure relates, a proper installation of building materials requires that a secondary structure (for example, an elongate deck joist) be connected under tension to a principal support structure. There are numerous construction configurations to which the tension tying system may relate such as, for example, tying a deck joist to a principal support structure, tying one floor to a second floor, tying a post to a support structure and numerous other applications wherein installing an assembly, which is capable of connecting one member to another member under a high tension and which may be easily installed, is highly desirable. In addition, it is important that the connections provide a high degree of connection integrity over a long period of time.
Numerous tension tie assemblies for securing building members to one another exist, however, there are no known assemblies that allow increasing or decreasing the amount of tension force after initial attachment to the building structure. This can be a drawback in some building structures, as wooden building materials may shrink from a loss of moisture, warp or undergo other structural alterations over time that can impact the integrity of the connection provided by the tension tie assembly. Further, all known tension tie assemblies include rigid connection elements, which require precise measuring and careful installation of hardware on each of the building members to ensure that the tie elements can be aligned for connection. Thus, it would be useful to provide an adjustable tension tie assembly that can be tightened to increase the tension force experienced by the assembly or loosened to decrease the tension force experienced by the assembly after it is attached and without detaching from to the respective building members. It would furthermore be useful to provide a tension tie assembly that is attachable at a variety of different angles and which does not require precise alignment.